Weighted handle for a billiard cue



Sept. 19, 1967 R. K. WALDO WEIGHTED HANDLE FOR A BILLIARD CUE FiledMarch 10, 1964 FIG - INVENTOR. RUSS K. WALDO ATTQRNEYS United StatesPatent f 3,342,489 WEIGHTED HANDLE FOR A BILLIARD CUE Russ K. Waldo,7926 12th Ave., SW., Seattle, Wash. 98106 Filed Mar. 10, 1964, Ser. No.350,780 2 Claims. (Cl. 273-68) This invention relates to a billiard cue,and as one of its objects aims to provide a cue having a stick portionof uniform rather than the tapering diameter which characterizes thecustomary billiard cue.

Ancillary to the above, it is a further and particular object to providea billiard cue having a bridging sleeve mounted for endwise slidingmotion upon said stick portion.

As a further and important object still, the invention aims to provide abilliard one so constructed that its Weight may be easily and quicklyaltered within an accepted range of minimum and maximum norms and thuspermit a single cue to adapt itself to the weight desires of a number ofbilliard players.

With the above objects and advantages in view, and further looking tothe provision of a billiard cue of perfected design which may beinexpensively produced, all of which will appear and be understood inthe course of the following description and claims, the inventionconsists in the novel construction and in the adaptation and combinationof parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view showing a billiard cue embodyingpreferred teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged-scale longitudinal sectional Viewthereof with parts in elevation.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional View drawn to a yetlarger scale; and

FIG. 4 is an elevational view showing a shuffieboard stick constructedto incorporate teachings of the present invention.

The billiard cue of the present invention is comprised of separable buttand shaft sections designated in the drawing by the numerals and 11,respectively. The shaft is formed from a length of metal tubing,aluminum by preference, and presents the usual tip 12 of leather orother like or suitable material. This tip is or may be cemented to theouter face of a headed tenon 13 which is securely socketed in the frontor striking end of the shaft.

Other than for a tapered collar 14 which is sweated or otherwise fixedlysecured upon the shaft in spaced proximity of its rear extremity, theshaft has a uniform diameter throughout its length. The taper of thecollar, between a feather edge which faces to the front and an abruptshoulder 15 which faces to the rear, is quite moderate, desirably nomore than 10. The portion 16 of the shafts rear end which protrudesbeyond said shoulder is externally threaded to fit the internallythreaded socketpiece 17 of a metal ferrule 18 which is provided upon thefront end of the cues butt section 10. In threading the shaft sectioninto said socket-piece the shoulder 15 is brought to bear against theexposed face of the ferrule.

A bridging sleeve 20 is received for endwise slide motion upon theshaft. Bushings 21 of Teflon or other like or suitable material areprovided in the two ends to produce friction-free slide journals. Whenthe bridging sleeve is not in use the bridge may be either removed fromthe shaft or held in an out-of-the-way position-as shown in FIGS. 1 and3-by pressing the same onto the front end of the tapered collar 14. Theuniform diameter of the shaft is significant not only in allowing use ofthe bridging sleeve. It also permits a player, should he prefer3,342,489 Patented Sept. 19, 1967 to bridge with his forefinger, to forma more eflicient bridging loop with such forefinger. This follows fromthe fact that such loop need not give during the course of a shot. Whenusing cues having customary tapering shafts, the bridge must give incompensation of the cues changing diameter.

The butt section 10 is desirably composed of wood and is or may betapered. At the rear end it is necked down as at 22 for a distance of,say, 3%", and has a disc 23 of rubber screwed or otherwise fixed inplace upon the butts rear extremity to serve as a buffer. The diameterof the rubber bulfer corresponds to that of the neck so as to permitWeighting sleeves, hereinafter described, to be slipped over the same.

The sleeve-seating portion 22 of the neck presents a plurality ofcircumferential grooves, six in number. There is also provided a groove24 located at the forward extremity of the neck. The six grooves,denoted by grooves 252627-282930, are spaced at generally equidistantintervals between said terminal groove and a rear extremity of the seatlocated a moderate distance to the front of the necks rear extremity. Afixed O-ring 31 is lodged in the groove 24 and may, if desired, becemented in place in that it functions only as a compressible shoulder.An O-ring 32 is removably lodged in a selected one of the other grooves,its purpose being that of a keeper for the weighting sleeves. There arethree of these sleeves, all three having the same diameters to give aslip fit upon the neck 22 and to be flush, or approximately flush, withthe tapered part of the butt section 16 at its point of juncture withthe neck.

The three sleeves are of different lengths to provide different weights.One sleeve 33 is a l-ounce sleeve, with its length corresponding to agiven module, say /2". A second sleeve 34 is a 2-ounce sleeve, twice thelength of the module. The third sleeve 35 is a 3-ounce sleeve with alength three times that of the module. Billiard cues customarily have afixed weight, ranging between minimum and maximums of 15 and 21 ounces.The present cue is constructed with a base weight of said minimum,namely 15 ounces. This can be quickly altered at the will of a player bymeans of the weighting sleeves. Applying the l-ounce sleeve 33, andlodging the ring 32 in the groove 25 as a keeper therefor, produces a16- ounce cue. Groove 26 similarly receives the keeper ring when the2-ounce weight is used. Groove 27 receives the keeper ring when the3-ounce weight is used. Should it be desired to add four ounces to thecues base weight, the weights 33 and 35 are used and are held inposition by lodging the keeper ring in the groove 28. The groove 29accommodates a combination of the weights 34 and 35, groove 30 acombination of all three weights. The grooves 25-26-27-28-29-30 are eachso spaced from the end groove 24 that the fixed O-ring 31 must beslightly compressed in order to lodge the keeper ring 32 in its propergroove. This tensions the O-rings against the weights and serves theimportant end of stabilizing the applied weights against liability ofeven the most minor shifting motion while a shot is being made. Modifiedonly in the slight degree necessary to obtain said compression of theO-ring 31, said spacings of the grooves 25 through 30 from the groove 24are, in order, 1 to 1, 2 to 1, etc. multiples of the. given module.

The described adjustable weighting of a handle part also lends itself toother handles, those of sports equipment in particular, and such forexample as the shuffleboard stick illustrated in FIG. 4. In thisapplication I denote the weighting sleeves by 33', 34" and 35, and thetwo O-rings by 31' and 32'. It is desirable in a shuttleboard stick thata cushioning interconnection be provided between the handle 40 and thestick proper 41. Shown 3 for this purpose is a block of elastic rubber42 used in conjunction with a cross-pin 43 working in a slot 44 toprescribe for the stick end limits of permitted relative endwise motion.

It is believed that the invention will have been clearly understood fromthe foregoing detailed description of my now-preferred illustratedembodiments. Changes in the details of construction may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit of the invention and it is accordinglymy intention that no limitations be implied and that the hereto annexedclaims be given the broadest interpretation to which the employedlanguage fairly admits.

What I claim is:

1. A handle formed at its rear end with a cylindrical seat having alength which is a multiple of a given module and providing within thelength of said seat circumferential grooves separating the severalmodular sections, elastic O-ring means adapted to fit a selected one ofsaid grooves, and a set of sleeve means sized to fit the seat andslidably applied thereto from the rear end of the handle, the sleevesbeing used singly or in combinations to vary the Weight of the handle,the set having a combined length corresponding to the length of theseat, the sleeve means in said set each having a different length withthat of one corresponding to the module and the length of the othersbeing evenly stepped multiples of said module, the O-ring means beinglodged in an exposed one of said grooves to bear against and serve akeeper function for the applied weighting sleeve means.

2. Structure according to claim 1 in which the seat has acircumferential groove at its extreme front end, and an elastic O-ringfor said front-end groove caused to be compressed by application of thefirst-named O-ring in a keeper position bearing against the appliedweighting sleeve means.

References Cited OTHER REFERENCES Zimmerman et al.: Handbook of MaterialTrade Names, Supplement III to the 1953 edition, 1960, IndustrialResearch Service Inc., Dover, N.H., TP151 Z5, p. 250 relied on.

ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, F. BARRY SHAY,

Examiners.

L. BOVASSO, R. I. APLEY, Assistant Examiners.

1. A HANDLE FORMED AT ITS REAR END WITH A CYLINDRICAL SEAT HAVING A LENGTH WHICH IS A MULTIPLE OF A GIVEN MODULE AND PROVIDING WITHIN THE LENGTH OF SAID SEAT CIRCUMFERENTIAL GROOVES SEPARATING THE SEVERAL MODULAR SECTIONS, ELASTIC O-RING MEANS ADAPTED TO FIT A SELECTED ONE OF SAID GROOVES, AND A SET OF SLEEVE MEANS SIZED TO FIT THE SEAT AND SLIDABLY APPLIED THERETO FROM THE REAR END OF THE HANDLE, THE SLEEVES BEING USED SINGLY OR IN COMBINATIONS TO VARY THE WEIGHT OF THE HANDLE, THE SET HAVING A COMBINED LENGTH CORRESPONDING TO THE LENGTH OF THE SEAT, THE SLEEVE MEANS IN SAID SET EACH HAVING A DIFFERENT LENGTH WITH THAT OF ONE CORRESPONDING TO THE MODULE AND THE LENGTH OF THE OTHERS BEING EVENLY STEPPED MULTIPLES OF SAID MODULE, THE O-RING MEANS BEING LODGED IN AN EXPOSED ONE OF SAID GROOVES TO BEAR AGAINST AND SERVE A KEEPER FUNCTION FOR THE APPLIED WEIGHTING SLEEVE MEANS. 